In Uganda, over 2 million children have been orphaned because of HIV and AIDS. This has had devastating impacts on their welfare. In particular, income in HIV affected or orphan households are 20-30 percent lower than non-affected households. Additionally, AIDS-related deaths negatively impact orphans’ school attendance, school performance and completion, as a result of a lack of parental care and financial resources for education. The World Bank, for instance, asserts that HIV/AIDS may reduce the number of primary school children by as much as 22 percent and secondary school children by 14 percent due to increased child mortality.
The period of early childhood is one of the most important developmental phases in a person's lifespan.The passage from conception to birth and the years leading up to the age of 8 are critical to fostering healthy cognitive, emotional, and physical growth of children.
Early childhood is a time when cognitive stimulation, nutrition, and emotional attachment all work together to shape the identity, coping skills,

intelligence and problem solving abilities that children will need to grow into healthy and adjusted adolescents and adults.
 Few programs have identified and targeted young children or their overburdened caregivers. The challenges to providing adequate care for young children aged 0-8 in Uganda are further compounded by inequity, chronic poverty, and disease. Rural communities have limited access to early childhood development (ECD) facilities because of high cost of establishment, maintenance, equipment, and other costs associated with running the facility. This has been worsened by the high levels of poverty that characterize these communities. As a result, many children, especially those orphaned, excluded, and/or marginalized, are not provided the opportunity for healthy development during their formative childhood years, negatively impacting their learning skills and attitudes throughout adolescent and adulthood.